Learn Korean with News: Korea's Michelin Guide, Blue Ribbon Hello, Korean learners! It's Soona. Have you ever walked down a street in Korea and noticed a small, blue ribbon sticker attached to a restaurant's door? If you have, you've just discovered a guaranteed delicious spot! Today, we are going to learn about the 'Blue Ribbon Survey' (블루리본 서베이), which is famously known as Korea's very own Michelin Guide. This guide has become the ultimate compass for foodies in Korea. Whet

Learn Korean with News: The Great Escape of Neukgu the Wolf Hello, Korean learners! It's Soona. Today, we are going to dive into a heartwarming local news story that has captivated South Korea recently: the great escape of a 2-year-old wolf named 'Neukgu' (늑구). On April 8th, Neukgu escaped from Daejeon O-World Zoo by digging a hole under the fence. For 9 days, he evaded drones and search parties, surviving in the wild by catching fish. When he was finally captured safely, the

How to Ask "Where Are You From?" in Korean: Nationalities & Jobs Welcome to Chapter 2 of our Basic Korean Conversation series! Now that you know how to say hello and introduce your name, what is the next step? When you make new Korean friends, they will naturally want to know more about you. Today, we will learn the most essential questions for a first meeting: asking about someone's nationality and their job. Let's dive in! Mini Dialogue: Getting to Know Each Other Let’s loo

How to Introduce Yourself in Korean: Basic Greetings Are you traveling to Korea soon or starting your journey to learn Korean? The very first thing you need to know is how to say hello and introduce yourself. In this beginner guide, you will learn the most essential Korean greetings, how to ask for someone's name, and the natural pronunciation rules that native speakers use. Let's master the basic Korean conversation for beginners! Mini Dialogue: First Time Meeting Someone Le

The Shape-Shifters: Korean 'ㅡ' Irregular Verbs (ㅡ 불규칙) Korean 'ㅡ' irregular verbs are incredibly common. Words like Busy (바쁘다), Pretty (예쁘다), To write (쓰다), and To be sick (아프다) all fall into this category. Here is the tricky part: when these verbs meet a grammar pattern that starts with '-아/어요', the 'ㅡ' completely drops out! But wait, there's a second step. You have to look at the vowel in the previous syllable to decide whether to add '아요' or '어요'. Don't worry! Because thes

The Shape-Shifters: Korean 'ㅎ' Irregular Verbs (ㅎ 불규칙) Korean 'ㅎ' irregular verbs are extremely important because they are mostly used to express Colors (파랗다, 빨갛다, 노랗다) and States/Conditions (그렇다, 어떻다, 이렇다). Here is the tricky part: when these adjectives meet a grammar pattern that starts with a vowel like '-아/어요', two things happen. First, the 'ㅎ' completely disappears. Second, the final vowel '아/어' transforms into '애/에' (or '얘/예'). For example, 파랗다 becomes 파래요. Don't worry!